


Felt Dawn, Saw Sunset Glow

by Mysana



Series: Naruto Short Fics [7]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Naruto Epilogue, BAMF Inuzuka Kiba, Gen, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Uchiha Sasuke Returns to Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 14:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17582594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysana/pseuds/Mysana
Summary: “Sasuke Uchiha, Jikan, and four under-10s,” Sasuke says, scowling at the Konoha chunin on gate duty.Sasuke returns to Konoha with his children.





	Felt Dawn, Saw Sunset Glow

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from In Flanders Fields, by John McRae  
> I also liked Dulce Et Decorum Est for Sasuke, but it was a bit more angsty-teen Sasuke
> 
> Strongly inspired by one of my other works, Dare Seize the Fire, if you like alternate post-canon short fics

Sasuke hadn’t been planning on ever returning to Konoha again, except maybe as a visitor when Naruto became Hokage. He didn’t need a village, and he most certainly didn’t trust the village with his children. No, Konoha couldn’t be trusted to treat the Uchiha as they deserved and Sasuke wasn’t going to let them destroy his family again. (He couldn’t blame Konoha for Danzo and the Third’s actions, but that wasn’t  the same thing as trusting that history wouldn’t repeat itself.)

Unfortunately, plans had to change.

Jikan was barely better than the average chunin, which was fine in a babysitter. Sure, Sasuke would prefer someone of jonin or kage level looking after his kids but that was unlikely to happen. Jikan had been there since Michiko was born and the kids were attached to him. That said, somehow, someone had loose lips and now people were trying to hunt down his kids. And Jikan wasn’t strong enough to protect him.

This left a bit of a dilemma because Sasuke couldn’t stay and look after them. They needed money for food and clothes among other things, Sasuke was the only one who could take missions that cost enough to pay for everything. Even then, times were lean. The missing-nin (although technically he’d been pardoned) paycheck wasn’t made to support six people, two of whom were still in diapers full time.

So Sasuke walks around the overgrown edges of one of Orochimaru’s smaller bases. Maybe he can sell some of Orochimaru’s old medical junk, but that still requires him to leave the base. Jikan might be able to sell the junk better, he has actually medical training after all. Jikan was also _special_ , and not the sort of bloodline special that Sasuke was. The sort of special that meant Orochimaru was willing to give up on a soldier so Sasuke could have a babysitter. There was a 25% chance Jikan would wander off and get lost, and another 25% he would get kidnapped.

***

“Sasuke Uchiha, Jikan, and four under-10s,” Sasuke says, scowling at the Konoha chunin on gate duty. One of them starts laughing, the other hasn’t stopped staring yet. Sasuke takes a deep, calming breath. He forgot how exhausting it was to travel with kids. He’s had only a couple hours of sleep a night since they left the base. Normally that would be fine, unfortunately taking care of three toddlers and a child is more exhausting than most missions.

“Daddy,” Fudo whispers, tugging on Sasuke’s hair, “I gotta potty.”

“You’re serious?” The laughing chunin asks, looking stunned. Sasuke says nothing while Jikan reassures Fudo that he’ll be able to use the potty in just a few minutes. “Uhh, right. I’m gonna escort you to the Hokage tower. You’ll be okay on your own, Akihiro?”

Akihiro nods, still staring.

Sasuke says nothing as they walk through the streets of Konoha. Memories from before and after the death of his family bubbles to the surface. Things he’d thought he’d forgotten. Jikan is tense beside him, Kazumi still asleep in one arm, Ushio strapped to his back, and Fudo holding his other hand. Sasuke’s job was to look after Michiko (who insisted she was old enough not be looked after) and to protect them.

“Holy shit, is that Sa _su_ ke U _chi_ ha!” Kiba shouts, in that annoying way of his. (Although Sasuke can’t help but notice that Kiba looks… mature in a way he hadn’t when Sasuke last saw him, in the days just after the war.)

Sasuke raises his only visible eyebrow at the man, not pausing when Kiba slides into step beside him.

“Did you steal these kids or something?” Kiba asks, sounding baffled as he inspects Michiko. Sasuke knows he’s joking because Michiko looks like a Uchiha, and probably smells like one too.

“I’m Michiko Uchiha!” Sasuke’s daughter says, glaring at Kiba and grabbing hold of Sasuke’s dangling hand.

“It’s very nice to meet you Michiko, I’m Kiba Inuzuka. I was one of your father’s classmates in the academy.”

Michiko looks up to him, frustrated bafflement plain on her face. She likes to know what’s going on.

“The academy is where Konoha shinobi are trained. I trained there along with many other students. Eight of whom became shinobi at the same time as me. Kiba was one of those eight.” Sasuke offers, watching their guide sign something to another chunin. It’s been years since he used Konoha shinobi hand signs and they’ve likely completely changed since then. A shame, it would’ve been useful to eavesdrop.

Truthfully, he has very little idea of how he will be treated upon his return. He only came because he was confident that Naruto was the only one who could beat him, and Naruto would be unwilling to do so if it risked his or his children’s lives. That still leaves a lot of ways for things to go wrong though.

“You’re heading to see Kakashi-shishou right?”

Sasuke doesn’t freeze, he’s too good for that. Still.

“Kakashi. Shi _shou_?”

“Man, you’ve been out of the loop. I’m gonna be Hokage!” Kiba says, lacing his hands behind his head and letting his eyes browse the skyline. Sasuke notices the way the muscles under Kiba’s mesh move. It’s _hard_ for shinobi to get muscles. He’s almost impressed.

“Naruto?” Sasuke asks.

“Nah, he’s all over the place. He comes back sometimes with some new techniques or a kid but I checked the last time he came around. Not that I would’ve backed down if he was still going for it, I’ve been working my butt off!” Kiba grins, his elongated canine on display.

If some small amount of heat rises to Sasuke’s cheeks then it is simply because the Land of Fire is hotter than the Land of Rice. That’s all. (If Kiba’s nose twitches and his eyes darken, well. He doesn’t say anything.)

The mission desks look much like they did when Sasuke was a genin, which is impressive considering it was one of the buildings destroyed by Pein. The chunin guide waves them through and hands them off to Kiba. The chunin watches Sasuke with wary gaze before he looks back at Kiba. Something about Kiba settles the chunin’s fear, and that’s interesting.

People smile and wave a Kiba, nod in respect, nobody stops him as he leads deeper into the building.

“Hey Shika,” Kiba says, raising a hand in hello. Shikamaru looks less surprising than Kiba. He looks a lot like his father. Maybe a bit paler, deceptively softer. Sasuke saw the way Shikamaru led his squad during the war. It’s uncomfortable, to be reminded that even if Naruto and he are so far out of everyone else’s league it’s not even funny, it doesn’t mean that others aren’t dangerous.

Shikamaru couldn’t kill him, but he could definitely kill Jikan. Could put Sasuke in a very bad position.

(He’s been pardoned, Sasuke reminds himself.)

“Huh.” Shikamaru says, looking at Sasuke - though not in the eye. “Troublesome.” He doesn’t sound that upset. “Does Naruto know?”

“He’s only been in the village about five minutes,” Kiba says, and even if Sasuke hates to be talked about as if he’s not there, Kiba has a point. Shikamaru does too- “So yeah, probably. He’s supposed to be over with Kumo right now so he’ll be back within the month.”

“Kakashi’s finishing up writing the plan of attack on the droughts so go ahead and interrupt him.”

“Will do!” Kiba says, charging forward and opening the door without knocking.

***

Kakashi Hatake is 33 years old, but he looks like he could be in his mid-forties when he looks up from the paperwork piled over the desk. Some part of Sasuke points out that he looks like Danzo, and a bit like the Third Hokage.

“Ah, Sasuke,” Kakashi says, like he’d always known Sasuke was coming, and was inconvenienced by how long it’d taken. “And who are these?” His eyes are those stupid crescents they make when Kakashi “smiles” and Sasuke had forgotten how utterly infuriating his teacher was.

Luckily, Sasuke has exhaustion on his side, which is probably the only reason he doesn’t spontaneously develop a twitch.

“These are my children,” Sasuke says, “this is Michiko Uchiha, my eldest daughter,” he lifts his left hand, still holding tightly to his daughter.”

“I’m four,” Michiko informs Kakashi. Jikan moves up to Sasuke’s right, so that Fudo is between them both.

“This is Fudo Uchiha, my eldest son,” Sasuke continues.

“I’m three,” Fudo holds up five fingers, “and a half!” In a quieter voice he adds, “and I really gotta go potty.” Sasuke looks at Fudo for a second before taking Kazumi out of Jikan’s arms to hold on his left him, and Ushio from Jikan’s carrying wrap to hold on his right. He is not at risk of getting attacked by outside forces in the Hokage’s office, and Kakashi won’t hurt children.

“Out the door we just came in, third door on the left,” Sasuke tells Jikan, who is carrying Fudo out of the door without pause.

He turns back to Kakashi.

“This is Kazumi Uchiha, my youngest daughter, and Ushio Uchiha, my youngest son.” Kazumi is still asleep, but Ushio raises two fingers in place of speaking.

“Very cute,” Kakashi says.

“Jikan helps me look after them, he’s 15 and an orphan. We would like to request citizenship in Konoha.”

There is a drawn out moment of silence. Kiba and Kakashi both watching.

“You are aware that foreign shinobi are not allowed to hold Konoha citizenship.”

“I am willing become a Konoha shinobi, or retire, if you cannot trust me on your force.”

More silence. Sasuke is unmoved, but Michiko’s chakra is becoming agitated.

“Why?”

Sasuke’s not sure which _why_ Kakashi is asking. Why did Sasuke leave Konoha? Why did Sasuke follow Orochimaru? Why did Sasuke kill Orochimaru? Why did Sasuke fight with the Shinobi Alliance during the war? Why didn’t Sasuke come home sooner? Why did Sasuke come back at all? Why return to Konoha, and not some other nation?

Silently, Sasuke asks which one Kakashi means.

“All of them,” Kakashi says, “though mostly why are you back _now_?”

Sasuke looks away, an ugly twisting feeling below his ribs.

“Word got out about them, and I can’t keep them safe while I’m away on missions.”

It’s his fault, mostly. He had left all but Orochimaru’s most loyal shinobi alive when he destroy Oto. Unwilling to commit a massacre on an even larger scale than his brother had. Now, some part of him, the part that holds the curse of hatred and will never forgive and cannot forget, that part of him wished he’d done it. One of them had known about his children, and one of them had talked about them.

Jikan and Fudo returns. Fudo looks longingly up at Sasuke’s arms where Kazumi and Ushio rest. Sasuke tries to bring joy into his children’s lives whenever he can, he wants- _needs_ them to know how much he loves them.

“Go on,” he says to Fudo, he proceeds to nearly strangle Sasuke in his attempts to climb up Sasuke’s back. Sasuke readjusts easily to the extra weight of Fudo on his shoulders, and doesn’t stop him when Fudo starts to fuss with Sasuke’s hair.

Kiba’s chakra is simmering in amusement, though from the corner of Sasuke’s eye he appears to be mostly stoic with only the glimmer in his eye, and the twitching corners of his mouth giving him away. And that is only because Kiba is letting it.

“Well I can hardly turn away my cute student when he asks for help.” Kakashi says, and the two of them are the only ones to hear the bitterness. Sasuke wonders if he was meant to hear it. “After the war a note was made. For Sasuke Uchiha to return to Konoha, and resume duty as a Konoha shinobi were a few things that would have to happen.”

Sasuke glances out the window in place of going absolutely tense.

“The first is that he would have to prove that he was of sound state of mind, given that mental weakness was given as the original reason you were discharged when you were 13.”

 _I wasn’t discharged_ . Sasuke doesn’t say, even though it’s true. _I was in fine state of mind_ , Sasuke doesn’t say, it’s a lie.

“I no longer have Orochimaru’s seal, the last of its influence cleared the last time I had a fever.” Sasuke says.

 _I’m sorry,_ Sasuke doesn’t say, _you were right, Orochimaru’s power was a lie, and the seal was corrupting._ Perhaps he would have, had it just been the two of them. He’s certainly thought about saying it a lot. _I thought I was going to die_ , Sasuke doesn’t say, copying the letter he wrote but never set, _my skin was so hot I was literally steaming_.

Kakashi doesn’t noticeably react, besides some twitches so small Sasuke’s Rinnegan is probably the only thing that could notice.

“The second is that he would not be allowed out of the village again until he passed on his genetics, in one form or another.”

Sasuke looks to his left, to see Kazumi sleeping and Michiko standing tense beside him as Kakashi says, “that one’s been taken care of as well.”

“The third is that you must pay reparations to those you’ve hurt. In either money or service.”

 _And what about what the village owes me?_ The cursed part of him whispers, even though Sasuke has worked to let it go. Everyone involved with the death of his family is dead, and revenge will not bring them back.

“Who?” Sasuke asks, since he might as well know now if it’s impossible. Kiba moves slightly, turns to see him better. Sasuke notices an odd hum that he nearly dismisses before he recognises it as the sound of Aburame bugs. Probably one of the ANBU.

“The Uchiha compound was sold, and the money used to pay reparations.” Kakashi says, and he sounds almost apologetic. It’s just as well, Sasuke hated it there, and he had already decided that his children would be closer to central Konoha if he got a choice in the matter.

“And finally,” Kakashi says, his voice cold and clear, “Sasuke Uchiha must buy Naruto Uzumaki a round at Ichiraku Ramen.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> There will probably be another chapter up soon. Lemme know what you think if you'd like.


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